A warmer-than-normal day in early October didn’t stop International Falls’ girls cross country team from winning Thursday’s Hibbing Rotary Cross Country Meet.
In the “Class A” division, the Broncos finished first with 66 points, followed by South Ridge (84), Esko (85), Ely (115) and Virginia (112) in the top five among the 10 teams.
“We are happy with the win (Thursday), but we have a lot of work to get done before Sections,” said Falls head coach Paul Hjelle.
The Broncos’ top individual finish came from sophomore Sydney Raboin, who placed third in 16 minutes, 20 seconds on the 4,000-meter course.
Of the other four Falls girls runners who counted in the point standings, three placed in the top 15. They included: sophomore Amy Auran, 10th in 16:57; seventh-grader Lexi Erickson, 12th in 16:59; senior Amber Harms, 14th in 17:16; and junior Rachel Foss, 27th in 18:47.
“The speed of the race was really fast,” Harms said. “Even though the weather was really hot and windy, the girls all ran very well. Winning the meet got all of us excited to see what the rest of the year will bring.”
In the boys competition, the Broncos finished fifth out of 11 teams.
Mesabi East won with 33, followed by Virginia (60), Proctor (68), Eveleth-Gilbert (110) and the Falls (133) rounding out the top five.
The only Bronco boys runner to finish in the top 20 individually was junior Marco Griffith, who placed 18th in 19:06 on the 5,000-meter course.
The other four Falls runners who counted in the points standings included: senior Charlie Gordon, 23rd in 19:28; junior Aaron Geiss, 28th in 18:37.5; junior Cade MacKay, 29th in 19:37.6; and sophomore Wyatt Ulrich, 35th in 19:52.
“I really enjoyed the flat course (Thursday),” Gordon said. “Our runners are improving every race and I am very proud to be captain. I can’t wait to see how we do at our home meet next Thursday.”
The Broncos’ only scheduled home meet this season is set for 4 p.m. Thursday at the Falls Country Club.
The Iron Range Conference meet is set for Oct. 18 at Mesabi East.
